Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam

In the late 1960s, the country was split by the Vietnam War. It seemed the majority of Americans viewed the Vietnam War as an unnecessary war full of American bloodshed. By Nixon’s inauguration in January of 1969, the opposition of the war was growing, particularly on college campuses. Early in his term, Nixon announced his new plan to achieve “Peace with Honor”. The plan was to slowly give the war over to the South Vietnamese; however, many antiwar Americans saw this plan as an attempt to calm the antiwar movement without actually stopping the fight in Vietnam. By April of 1969, the total amount of American lives lost in Vietnam had reached over 33,629, the total death count of the Korean War. By the end of 1969, the number of Americans killed fighting the Vietnam War would reach approximately 45,000. In response to the continued bloodshed and violence, the Vietnam Moratorium was organized in cities throughout the United States. 

Photograph of New Orleans college students demonstrating on October 15, 1969, circa 1969. Image courtesy of auburnpub.com.

On October 15, 1969, approximately 2 million citizens across multiple cities participated in the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. Demonstrators wore black armbands to show their animosity towards the war and to pay tribute to American soldiers killed since 1961. The Moratorium also marked one of the first times middle class and middle-aged American voters were brought out in large numbers. Despite the many city participants, the major focal point of the Moratorium was Washington D.C., where approximately 250,000 demonstrators called for their opinions on the war to be heard. The Washington D.C. demonstrators marched down Pennsylvania Avenue led by Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King. Among these protesters were the current, in 1969, Secretary of Defense’s son and the Secretary of State’s son, Tony Rogers. Some U.S. soldiers even participated in the October 15^th Moratorium. However, not every American protested the war. Supporters of Nixon’s decisions, regarding the war, were critical of the moratorium, including General Wheeler, who described the protesters as being vocal youngsters. The “silent majority” fought back against the Moratorium in their own ways. For example, police officers and firefighters in New York drove with their headlights on to protest Mayor John Lindsay’s order to fly the flag half-mast for Moratorium. 

Photograph of Coretta Scott King lighting candle in front of White House on October 15, 1969, circa 1969. Image courtesy of auburnpub.com.

The October 15^th moratorium was not the end of the fight against the war. A month later, on November 15, 1969, another Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam was organized, and this time included a major march on Washington. The November 15^th march had an increased number of demonstrators, with approximately 500,000 protesters demanding that Nixon put an end to the Vietnam War. The moratorium demonstration proved that the anti-war movement was not comprised of only college students and the protest demonstrated an increase in the anti-war movement despite Nixon supposedly ignoring the protests in favor of watching college football.  For the 50^th anniversary of the Moratorium, pictures were collected for the public to view and help remember the nationwide protest.

The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam is a wonderful example of protest following the ideals of Gaudium et Spes. The religious document requires that protesters be defending their own personal rights or the rights of other citizens for the protest to be legitimate. The protesters involved in both the October and November moratorium demonstrations were fighting to not only end needless violence but also protect the lives of their fellow Americans. The demonstrators also succeeded in voicing their concerns and opinions without resorting to violence themselves. This emphasizes the Gaudium believe of keeping within natural law and the lessons learned in the Gospel. Keeping a protest-free of violence while protesting unnecessary violence is an excellent way of ensuring a protest is considered legitimate according to the ideals of Gaudium.